Working toward self-determination for the West Papuan people

Hundreds arrested in Papua demonstrations

Indonesian police have arrested at least 300 people in cities across the republic for a Papua demonstration, according to reports from West Papua.

Demonstrators march in Timika in West Papua Photo: Supplied

The West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, had notified police about its intention to hold a series of public demonstrations in various towns and cities today to commemorate the first Indonesian military invasion in 1961.
Police in the various centres rejected granting them permission, but the KNPB and other activists proceeded anyway.
Indonesians demonstrating for West Papuan self-determination in Bandung Photo: Supplied

As well as in cities in the Papua region such as Jayapura, Nabire, Timika and Wamena, there were mobilisations in other parts of Indonesia including Jogjakarta, Jakarta, Bandung and Manado.
Ground reports indicated that police arrested at least 300 people for taking part in these demonstrations.
In Bandung, the Indonesians demonstrating for Papuans to be granted a new self-determination process were met by counter demonstrators.
Demonstrators in Timika, West Papua Photo: Supplied

There have been many demonstrations calling for West Papuan self-determination this year, from which mass arrests have taken place.

Indonesian police have detained dozens of people ahead of a West Papua independence protest on Monday.

At least 200 people were arrested in several cities in Papua and Java, said Veronica Koman, a lawyer for Papuan independence activist Filep Karma.

Monday is the 55th anniversary of the official declaration of an Indonesian military campaign to take control of Papua from the Dutch.

Koman said several people were arrested last week when they applied for demonstration permits.

She said the headquarters of the pro-independence National Committee for West Papua in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, was vandalized during a police raid on Monday.

The Dutch colonizers of the Indonesian archipelago held onto West Papua when Indonesia became independent after World War II. It became part of Indonesia following a U.N.-supervised referendum in 1969 criticized as undemocratic.

Whilst a screening of Australian documentary “Punks For West Papua” was shut down in Indonesia earlier last week on International Human Rights Day, director Anthony ‘Ash’ Brennan has won another international award for this riveting 46 minute film winning the ‘Best Overall Feature Film For Artistic Rendering Of A Documentary’ category at the 2016 Variety Film Festival in LA. The festival judges described the film as “A music movement and a human rights question; “Punks For West Papua” is a shout for freedom, is anyone listening?”.

Speaking of winning this latest award, Sydney’s Ash Brennan said “This is amazing news for the Free West Papua Campaign and the people of West Papua whose struggle is unknown to most of the world – awards like these help increase the global awareness of the genocide of the indigenous West Papuans.”

With screenings raising much needed awareness and inspiring more people to create campaigns to raise funds to help the West Papuan people, the “Punks For West Papua” documentary has also won several awards and has made the Official Selection in 10 festivals around the world this year, including:

Over the next two days in Vanuatu, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua will join the leaders of the 4 Melanesian countries, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, to vote on West Papua’s full membership to the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

With West Papua’s full membership to the MSG, Melanesian leaders can fully deliberate the multi-faceted nature of Indonesia’s human rights abuses and its impact on Pacific people.

Meanwhile, today in West Papua, there are reports of 100’s of people being arrested whilst peacefully demonstrating in support of West Papua’s full membership to the MSG.

The National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) in Papua said there have been 15 aviation accidents in Papua this year, ranging from minor accidents with no casualties to major accidents, like the one over the weekend, which killed 13 people.

“There have 15 cases, from minor accidents, like planes skidding off the runway during landings, to major accidents where passengers have lost their lives,” said Norbert Tunyanan, the representative of KNKT in Papua.

The geographical conditions in Papua are such that the residents and the economy rely heavily on air transportation. There are many flights operating for passengers and for cargo.

Papuan KNKT recorded 18 deaths from the 15 accidents this year. Aside from the 13 fatalities in the biggest accident so far, the other five fatalities were from an accident involving Amur Aviation helicopter, which killed the pilot, Sr. Comr. (ret) Karmana in Nabire, in June and from an accident in Ilaga Puncak Jaya on Oct. 31, where an Alfa flight crashed and killed four people.

The most tragic accident occurred on Sunday, in which an Air Force Hercules crashed in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency.

The 13 victims, 12 Air Force military personnel and a technician, were brought to Malang using an Air Force plane on Sunday.

Olivia Kawer, sister of the pilot Marlon Kawer, told The Jakarta Post through a phone interview that the family in Biak was in mourning. Marlon has three children. (evi)